Friday, June 28, 2013

HealthCare.Gov, a website designed to provide information about the
changes resulting from the Affordable Care Act, has been updated to provide new educational tools
on coverage options for individuals, families, and small businesses. New (and
easier-to-use) features include:

·A Q/A format to highlight coverage options;

·24/7 call center and online chat;

·Explanation of how the Marketplace will work;

·Details on what ACA does to expand coverage options
and provide new protections for consumers.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Below are excerpts from the June 27 public health update from Maine CDC. For the full update, read it online.

MERS-CoV

A new disease
called “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus” (MERS-CoV) has been
getting a lot of media attention after it caused severe illness and death in
adults from several countries. There are currently no reported cases in the
United States.

US CDC released its
summary of recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP) for the Prevention
of Measles, Rubella, Congenital Rubella Syndrome, and Mumps. The MMWR is
available at http://go.usa.gov/bFZk

US CDC issued a report on the 2012-13 flu season and the composition of
the vaccine for the 2013-14 season at http://go.usa.gov/bFZz

National HIV Testing Day is observed annually on June 27to encourage everyone to Take the Test, Take Control, and
know their HIV status.

More than 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with
HIV, but one in five does not know they are positive. Early diagnosis and
treatment improves health, extends life, and helps prevent the spread of HIV.

Maine CDC’s HIV, STD, and Viral Hepatitis Program helps
support HIV testing by providing more than 3,500 tests to high risk populations
in the state every year, which are offered anonymously or confidentially
through community and clinical HIV testing providers and family planning sites.

In 2012, 48 new cases of HIV were reported in Maine.Most of these cases were diagnosed in private
clinical settings.Overall, 1,654 people
in Maine are living with diagnosed HIV, with an estimated 300-400 additional people
living in the state who are positive but don’t know their status.

In Maine and nationally, about 40% of people who are newly diagnosed
with HIV develop AIDS within a year, which indicates that they have been
infected for years prior to being diagnosed.People with these late diagnoses have a shortened life expectancy and
have missed opportunities for treatment as well as for preventing transmission
to others.

Patients should have an HIV test during medical check-ups, just
like they would have a blood test or a urine test to be sure they are
healthy.Certain people should be
screened more regularly based on their risk factors.

You should get tested for HIV at least every year if you:

Have
had unprotected sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) with multiple or anonymous
partners;

Have
had unprotected sex with a partner who did not know their own HIV status;

Have a
history of sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs); or

Share
needles/syringes or other equipment (“works”) for injecting drugs.

Some health care providers may recommend testing every 3-6 months if you have certain
risk factors, including injection drug use and/or unprotected sex with others
who engage in high-risk behaviors.Talk
to your health care provider to see how often you should be tested. (Read the
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations for screening.)

If
you have any questions about HIV testing, please contact Emer Smith at (207)
287-5193 or emer.smith@maine.gov.

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